Peace During the Storm

In Luke 8:22-25, Luke recalls the story of Jesus and the disciples getting caught in a squall while they were out on the boat. During all of this perceived chaos, Jesus was asleep. The disciples woke him, and then Jesus promptly calmed the storm down and rebuked his disciples for lacking faith.

This is a story that can drive a lot of people crazy because they want Jesus to be awake calming his disciples down or stopping the storm from ever happening in the first place. A lot of people seriously think that God's sole purpose is to take care of us so that we can have safe and comfortable lives. That is far from true. While the disciples were in a very unenviable position and more than likely uncomfortable, they were faced with the question: why is Jesus allowing us to be uncomfortable while he is sleeping through this terrible storm?

Are you ever wondering that? I have been. I remember as a young Christian being told that blessings and punishments were due to obedience, and that if things were going wrong usually that meant that I was not doing something right. I wanted to be comfortable, so I tried to be more "obedient" only to find that it often times led to more turmoil.

What I have noticed in this story about the storm is that while it was probably cold, wet, tense, and bleak, they learned that Jesus can control the storm. If they were never in that uncomfortable place, they would have never known that detail about Jesus. They also learned in this story that with Jesus in control, they did not need to panic and that they can be at peace in the storm much like their teacher was.

Yes, this concept is easier said than done, that is why it is something that I have had to remind myself constantly. If anyone knows about the past year for me, you know that I have been tried in multiple facets of my life. I finally feel like I am getting answers in some of the areas, but others are still as clear as mud. The problem for me is that I think I know where it is that he is sending me, but I think he is leading me into the eye of the storm rather than the greener pastures that I see others going to.

So this is where I stand today, half of me is calm and ready to go, the other half is muttering Psalm 91 reminding myself that he will protect me from whatever is let out of the cage. So yes, I am a work in progress, but ultimately I have been through enough storms to know that God will get me through it. I also know that nobody builds muscle without the tension of exercise. Nor do we grow without the tension of life. If you ask me, I would much rather listen to someone who has been through a few storms than someone who has never seen one and talks about it in theory rather than from the heart.

In closing, do not fear the storms. No, they may not be fun, but in the end, you benefit from them.